Hotel with a golfing facility and methods of operating the same

Abstract

The present teachings generally relate to accommodations (e.g., a hotel or other lodgings) providing access to a golf driving range from a guest's private room. Methods of entertainment for guests of a hotel comprising multiple guest units is also provided.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An accommodations and entertainment complex, comprising:
 a hotel comprising a plurality of guest units, wherein each of the plurality of guest units is separated from a common area by at least one door that is configured to be secured by the one or more guests associated with that guest unit, wherein each respective guest unit comprises:
 a bed; 
 a bathroom; 
 a balcony defining a golf ball hitting area within an open air location, wherein the hitting area is only accessible through the respective guest unit; and 
 a barrier configured to separate the open air location from at least one room associated with the respective guest unit; and 
 
 a target area comprising one or more targets configured for a golf ball hit by a user from the hitting area associated with each of the plurality of guest units. 
 
     
     
       2. The complex of  claim 1 , further comprising a golf mat disposed within each hitting area of the plurality of units. 
     
     
       3. The complex of  claim 1 , wherein the barrier comprises a door. 
     
     
       4. The complex of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the barrier is transparent. 
     
     
       5. The complex of  claim 1 , wherein the common area comprises an interior hallway. 
     
     
       6. The complex of  claim 1 , wherein the common area comprises an exterior corridor. 
     
     
       7. The complex of  claim 1 , further comprising a golf ball delivery mechanism for delivering a plurality of golf balls to the hitting area associated with each of the plurality of units. 
     
     
       8. The complex of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more lights for lighting the target area. 
     
     
       9. The complex of  claim 8 , further comprising a retractable shade to selectively prevent light being transmitted between each open air location and the room associated with that guest unit. 
     
     
       10. The complex of  claim 1 , wherein the barrier is configured to dampen transmission of sound between the open air location and the room. 
     
     
       11. The complex of  claim 10 , wherein the barrier comprises a double-paned glass door. 
     
     
       12. The complex of  claim 10 , wherein the barrier exhibits a composite sound transmission class (STC) greater than about 50. 
     
     
       13. The complex of  claim 1 , further comprising a display associated with the open air location of each of the guest units. 
     
     
       14. The complex of  claim 13 , wherein the display is configured to display a score indicative of the proximity of one or more golf balls hit from the hitting area associated with the corresponding guest unit. 
     
     
       15. The complex of  claim 14 , wherein the display is further configured to display a score indicative of the proximity of one or more golf balls hit from the hitting area associated with other guest units. 
     
     
       16. The complex of  claim 1 , further comprising a protective barrier to each of the plurality of units between the barrier and the hitting area. 
     
     
       17. The complex of  claim 16 , wherein the protective barrier is disposed between the hitting area and the barrier. 
     
     
       18. The complex of  claim 16 , wherein the protective barrier is configured to at least partially separate the hitting area from the target area. 
     
     
       19. The complex of  claim 18 , wherein the protective barrier is retractable. 
     
     
       20. A method of entertainment for guests of a hotel comprising multiple guest units, the method comprising:
 providing a balcony defining a golf ball hitting area to each of a plurality of the guest units of the hotel, wherein each hitting area is disposed within an open air location associated with a respective said guest unit and only accessible to a user through the respective guest unit, and wherein each guest unit is provided with at least one bed and a bathroom and is separated from a common area by at least one door that is configured to be secured by the one or more guests associated with that guest unit; 
 providing a target area comprising one or more targets configured for a golf ball hit from the hitting area associated with each of the plurality of guest units; and 
 providing a barrier to each of the plurality of guest units, wherein the barrier is configured to separate the open air location associated with each of the plurality of guest units from a room in the respective guest unit. 
 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising providing a golf mat within each hitting area of the plurality of guest units. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising providing a protective barrier to each of the plurality of units within the open air location. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 lighting the target area; and 
 providing a retractable shade to the barrier to selectively prevent light being transmitted between each open air location and the room associated with that guest unit. 
 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising delivering a plurality of golf balls to the hitting area associated with each of the plurality of units. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 20 , further comprising receiving coordinates for one or more first golf balls hit from a first hitting area associated with a first unit. 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 25 , further comprising displaying on a display associated with the first unit a first score indicative of the proximity of the one or more first golf balls relative to at least one of the one or more targets. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26 , further comprising receiving coordinates for one or more second golf balls hit from a second hitting area associated with a second unit; and
 displaying on the display associated with the first unit a second score indicative of the proximity of the one or more second golf balls relative to at least one of the one or more targets.